Posted
by
timothyon Tuesday June 26, 2012 @10:11AM
from the attached-illustration-says-they-love-it dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Travel site Orbitz found out that Mac users tend to select pricier rooms and swanky hotels. So, from now on, they will show more expensive hotel options to Mac users than to PC users. This is why, although I am a Mac user, my Firefox agent string says 'Windows XP' :)" The (paywalled) WSJ report on which Reuter's summary is based carries Orbitz' s softer explanation, which is that the results by platform are an experiment based mostly on presentation and search-result ordering rather than actually naming higher prices based on OS: "[T]he company isn't showing the same room to different users at different prices. They also pointed out that users can opt to rank results by price."

As the company stated they are not offering the same room at different rates, however it is showing the nicer hotels first. If there were enough Linux users to make a difference I would expect that they would give them, the roach motels first.

These systems will try to correlate as much information as possible to give its views the most relevant results. if a Mac User is shown on average to buy a hotel that is 10% more then the cheapest, then orbits to offer the best results will give the 10% above the cheapest as its first options so its customers are not hunting down the list.

Linux users would be given the address of a home depot, a list of vacant lot sites, and a "makefile" for building a hotel. Unfortunately, there would be library dependencies with links to unmaintained building codes.

Linux users would be given the address of a home depot, a list of vacant lot sites, and a "makefile" for building a hotel. Unfortunately, there would be library dependencies with links to unmaintained building codes.

Only the gentoo users.

The rest of us will settle for Motel 6 and the Yellow Pages. Bookmarked at "Pizza Delivery".

Linux users would be given the address of a home depot, a list of vacant lot sites, and a "makefile" for building a hotel. Unfortunately, there would be library dependencies with links to unmaintained building codes.

Unless they choose a ready made chain like Staybuntu or Hotel Mint. But if they do that, things like power points, TV's or air conditioners may not always work correctly and the owners may randomly re-arrange things regardless of how much you complain.

You do deserve the funny you have.The truth now though is quite a bit different.For most users and equipment Linux does 'just work' now. There are many choices for almost any type of software that most people would use that is just a click or a single 'sudo apt-get install [new thing I want]' away. Linux mint for example is good looking. Comes with codecs and flash. Works well, Easy to use and install.Seems to me that for most use cases that for non computer people that Linux would be a better and easier c

I've seen studies (published on/.) that Mac and iPhone users are often the least affluent citizens. I suspect that's because they are not very money-conscious and just spend their cash w/o regards to the cost. It might explain why they spend more money on hotels than the rest of us.

That is why I don't see why this is shocking, anymore than that study we saw awhile back that said those that are heavily Mac buyers on average make $100k a year.

Look folks, its a fashion brand. there is NOTHING wrong with that, anymore than there is something wrong with you if you buy Gucci or Prada, and if you want it? Please do buy it. You don't have to jump through logic hoops or try to "sell" us that Apple is somehow "better" or everyone else is "worse" because we've seen Apple has just as many defects

TFA is simply acknowledging what we already know, that Apple users have no problem paying more for things. Is that REALLY so surprising?

Except that's not what is being acknowledged. They're not paying more for the same thing.

They're paying more for things that they consider to be nicer or in some way more advantageous to them. In the hotel case maybe they are getting one that is closer to their destination or where they're more likely to meet someone famous. Maybe they just prefer the pillows at one vs the other. But they're not simply willing to pay more for the same thing - they're willing to part with more money if they feel like they're getting something better in return.

A foolish preoccupation with "getting a bargain" is not the way to get what you want in life. Personally I think it's worth spending more when you see value in doing so for yourself. That's what Mac users like myself are doing -- I appreciate and value the design and usability of Macs, so I buy them. Maintenance hassle seems far lower to me. If you think Windows is just as good as Mac, or better, or you prefer that gritty and down to the metal Linux experience, or you just like Linux better, etc., then definitely it makes sense to go Windows or Linux I think and put your financial priorities elsewhere. Enjoy!

I think you'd have to explain your own motivation, but I think those come under the banner of "enjoying the technical exploration." I think that's a motivator for many Linux lovers. Personally going through all that work to get Mac OS working on a PC defeats the primary points of Mac OS X -- easy integration, low maintenance and quick startup times, for example. But knock yourself out!
I use Linux and Mac at work. I avoid Windows if I can as I feel it has both a second class GUI and a second class command line. Windows 7 is definitely a decent offering though compared to earlier efforts. Each have their place, clearly. There is no "best answer for everyone."

Heh - you got me. As I grow older, I tend to buy things that aren't bottom-of-the-barrel anymore. If I build a PC from scratch, I buy a high-quality case and power supply and reputable motherboard. I get a nice non-TN monitor. I buy a good keyboard. If I'm buying a pre-built PC I tend to get a Mac or Lenovo or HP workstation. If I buy beer, it is always some fun craft beer, or at least one of the wannabe craft beers from the big brewers. I don't go to "Bottom Dollar" for my steaks, I go to a butcher and buy

Uhmm... My office is Mac-centric but I'm a Linux guy, so I installed Linux on a $400 Toshiba laptop, then installed Win7 and OSX into VMs on that. My boss used to laugh at me every time my OSX VM would take a crap (about once a month because I never restart it and it sometimes doesn't like to wake from suspend), until I told him to make note of every time how MacBook Pro took a dump and let's compare numbers. He has issues with his $1200 "superior product" roughly 5x as often as I do. I see similar stats on

A more expensive product is not necessarily superior. Furthermore, there are many cases where the product is superior, but it doesn't matter for the purpose at hand. If you're stopping in the town for one night on your way somewhere else, do you really need a five star hotel? It's a strictly superior product, but is it worth the money that could be spent elsewhere instead?

Indeed. Most travel sites, and general shopping sites, initially organise things by what they call "Relevance", and in many cases this is a totally ambiguous term! Relevance for them can surely mean which supplier paid them the most for advertising. Organising results based on someone's hardware, if a correlation can be shown between the hardware and end choices for accommodation in this case, actually seems pretty sensible and less sinister than what I'd usually expect.

Looking forward to reading all the paranoid and rage filled comments though...

As the first poster said, "well duh". Apple owners pay more for their gear, they want superior gear, and it stands to reason that someone who wants a top of the line computer (whether "top of the line" is real or percieved, many people always think the more expensive item must be better, even though Alieve and the generic naproxin sodium are identical but the prices are way apart) is going to want a top of the line room.

I don't see this as ripping off Apple users, I see it as catering to them.

Not bloated. I'm just better than other people, not because I have a Mac, but I have a Mac because I am better and therefore earn more money than your average person and thus I can afford a Mac. I like a good hotel too, so well done Orbitz.

I can afford a Mac, as well. My wife prefers them, so that's what I buy for her. Me? $400 PC that runs circles around all but the highest top-end Macs. Oh, and runs OSX just fine, either natively (tried it to see if it would work) or in a VM.

It's worth noting that I can afford a nicer hotel than you, what with the $800 I saved vs buyingtwo $1200 MacBook Pros.

I believe that most Google staff are Linux users and they are rather well paid. So you might be right. I imagine the average hobbyist Linux user would be a hard sell for escort services. "You charge what?? I could get a new computer for that and I wouldn't need to shower after I'd paid for it."

I believe that most Google staff are Linux users and they are rather well paid. So you might be right. I imagine the average hobbyist Linux user would be a hard sell for escort services. "You charge what?? I could get a new computer for that and I wouldn't need to shower after I'd paid for it."

I'd imagine that the number of people who use Linux primarily because of cost reasons is pretty low... Because you get a Windows license with every computer that you don't build yourself, most techies will probably even have a few unused licenses from old machines.

User logged into facebook, will have their videos sold by default, unless then hit the do not video tape button convinetly located in the corner of the ceiling closet. No additional fee will be charged for the convinince of having your tape sold.

To be honest I'm surprised we don't see this kind of thing more often. Not just on travel sites, but on any kind of site that doesn't have strict MSRP pricing such as Amazon. Certain platforms absolutely attract certain demographics, and unlike tracking/profiling you don't have to spend time building as profile as all of this data is conveniently offered up by the browser with page requests.

Mac fanboys seem to drive either tiny eco-cars or huge blinged-out pickups, judging by where I see the Apple stickers.

In other words, as much as the haters would like to think, there isn't a single type of Apple user, just as not all Linux users live in their parents' basements, or that all Xbox Live users are 12 years old think that calling something "gay" is the most insulting thing on the planet.

Judging where I see MAC's in the home, they drive Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, and BMW. I do home automation and high end Theaters. Not many rich people have PC's in their home, they all pretty much are iMac and Macbook.

But then I only do this as my day job and have seen only a few thousand homes of rich people. I am certain you came to your conclusion by seeing millions of cars with apple stickers on them.

1) MAC User may be more affluent. It's not always the case, but most of the time there's probably a lot of credit card debt associated with the individual as well.2) Most of them are clueless about technology and just want to leave it to someone else. The mentality "it just works" comes to mind but these folks don't shop around. They see their friends with Apple stuff, they buy Apple stuff.3) Like rounded corners a lot and need to have the latest fashion. Fondleslabs and Mac Books along with Iphones and

Superiority? It's an observation just like what the article is about. Orbitz observed the buying habits and determined to give the customer what they wanted. That's pure capitalism right there.

Everybody's buying habits put them into a box. That box is created by the immense amount of Data Mining that goes on for everything you buy or use. Don't believe me, talk to your credit card companies. That data is sold by the truck load to marketing departments and PR organizations and Political Committees ever

Personal experience and not only subjective but by observation. I have 3 Sons, All Teenagers and a Wife who likes there IPODs and their IPhones. I've had to replace units sometimes at less than half of their expected product lives, for example: IPOD Nano, received as XMAS Gift in 2011, replaced both by Mid 2012 one with the power switch problem and the other went dead. Had to take them to the Apple Store and wait two days to get replacements.Oldest Son: IPhone 3G, died after 6 mos.

Take the new Retina MacBook Pro as an example: It is expensive. Compared to an Alienware laptop with the same processor / SSD, but a bigger display with a lot fewer pixels, with weight and battery life that Dell doesn't dare to tell you, or compared to a nice Sony laptop with the same processor / SSD and a screen with much less good resolution, the Retina MBP is cheaper.

I've had Sony, Toshiba, ASUS and others. All of them have excellent quality and they stand up to a lot of abuse.

I have an Alienware and I'm not looking for portable computing, that's what tablets are for. My Alienware M17X is a portable desktop and yes, it travels quite a bit. Aluminum Case and it definitely is as heavy as a bowling ball. I would love to see better resolution in Laptops since every manufacturer wants to go to 16:9 Aspect Ratio displays and not the 4:3, i.e., the WUXGA which I have now.

Yes, I agree. and I'm going out on a limb here and saying that you don't sound like the "Diverse" individual when you mentioned your significant other. You should get with the Political Correctness of our age. It's no longer "opposite sex" it's "partner" or "spouse" I thought all Apple users thought that way?;-)

Really, is anyone seriously surprised by this? People who value convenience and having someone provide a service for them instead of doing something themselves might hold those same values for other things like paying for hotels. In other words people who are willing to pay 30% more for hardware might be willing to pay 30% more for other things too!!!

Marketers have figured this out. Next big surprise, organic shopping markets are full of Lexus and Mercedes cars? I think this really advanced concept might have been taught in the second week of marketing 101, maybe?

They aren't paying 30% more for the hardware, they are paying 30% more for an OS that wasn't cobbled together by retarded monkeys in India.

It's not that Mac is so great, it's just that Microsoft sucks donkey balls, and Linux takes too long to learn. If a company made an OS that had the ease of use, functionality, and security of Mac combined with the versatility of Windows and the price of Linux, you can bet that would come to dominate the world quite quickly. But that is HARD to do.

The 30% represents the service. In this case the service is the Operating System. I think in effect we are saying the same thing. Since much of the hardware is commodity hardware, you could look at the cost differential as the cost of the Mac OS.

What "premium for the logo"? We pay "premium" for the aluminum body, the Magsafe power connector, that excellent screen and an OS that is not total shit. Quality is not cheap, and we do not expect it to be.

Envious Dell and HP users should instead try and find out why Dell and HP have been unable to muster the same brand loyalty.